


We're Prey (Hiding As Predators)

by blueeyedmasterpiece



Category: Funhaus RPF, Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: GTA AU, Jack is a female because his character is a female, M/M, Multi, they'll all have a certain animal to them, tw blood, tw violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-05
Updated: 2015-05-05
Packaged: 2018-03-29 05:43:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3884605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueeyedmasterpiece/pseuds/blueeyedmasterpiece
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They met in different ways, at different times.<br/>They were a crew.<br/>Their pasts defined them too well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We're Prey (Hiding As Predators)

Joel stared at his body in the mirror of the shared bathroom at their safe house. The bandage wrapped around his shoulder and chest had blood seeping through, the bullet wounds still stinging a little. He saw the faded scar on his arm and rubbed it, feeling the risen skin there.  
The boys never asked about it and he would never tell.  
Memories began to creep back in and Joel left the bathroom, chewing the inside of his cheek. He laid on the bed and yawned, feeling sleep overtake him.  
The nightmares would come back and Joel wasn't ready to relive them.

~~~~~~

[Ten Years Earlier]

Hazel eyes stared back at Joel in the mirror, his skin cleanly waxed and red from irritation. A older man stood behind him, a smile on his face as he pat Joel's shoulder.  
"They'll love it better. The buyers HATE hairy men."  
Joel nodded, knowing he wasn't supposed to say a word. The man left and Joel tried hard not to cry, but the tears began to fall. Joel fell to the floor and let out small sobs.

/They only have you for twenty four hours. Only twenty four hours and then you're done for the week./

Twenty four hours was still too long.

~~~~~~

Her name was Meg.  
She had bright red hair and bright red lipstick and Joel wished he didn't fall in love with her.  
Joel found out she was underage and he felt sick.  
"I'm twenty three."  
She laughed and bumped Joel's hip.  
"I'm sixteen. You get used to it."  
Joel heard that she ran away with a young boy named Gavin.  
Joel was happy she got away.

~~~~~~

When Joel's boss came up to him Sunday afternoon, he expected a slap to the face.  
Instead he got a 'promotion'.  
"Heard you've been acting up Rubin."  
Joel nodded, knowing that if he lied it would of been worse.  
"If you can't do well as a sex toy, then you'll just be a stage boy."  
Joel was taught by one of the girls how to dance on a pole. It was easier than people put it out to be and he was out on stage in a week.

~~~~~~

Joel gave lap dances on rare occasions. That's how he met Geoff.  
The man was drunk, whispering sweet nothing's into Joel's ear. It made Joel uncomfortable and he had Jack take his place. Jack was better at lap dances anyway.  
Later Jack held Joel close to her and calmed him down.  
"Don't let Ramsey overwhelm you, Joel. He talks a big talk, but he's just that way."  
Joel shook his head, whispering "don't let him touch me again" to Jack and she nodded.  
"I'll make sure he never has you again."  
Joel smiled and snuggled into Jack's shoulder, her warmth making Joel sleepy.  
"Thank you Jack."  
"Anytime sweetheart."

~~~~~~

The man was mad.  
Joel could see it in his drunken eyes and he backed away, flight taking over fight.  
"Please sir, don't hurt me."  
"Shut up whore."  
The man swung and hit Joel in the jaw. Spots invaded his vision as he fell, tasting a little bit of blood.  
The man continued to hit him until Jack came in and pressed a gun to the man's head.  
"Leave."  
The man ran quickly out of the building and Jack sat in the floor, bringing her hand over to wipe blood from Joel's face.  
"I want to leave."  
"I do too sweetheart."

~~~~~~

Joel heard a young guy named Ryan whisper about Jack running away. Joel pretended not to care, but tears slipped and the boss yelled at him for crying.  
Ryan punched the boss and the boss punched back.  
Joel helped Ryan clean the wounds.  
Ryan ran away a few days later too.

~~~~~~

His name was Adam.  
He was young, maybe early twenties. Joel fell so hard when he saw his face and had even volunteered to make Adam 'happy'.  
The boss smiled and pat Joel on the shoulder as he approached Adam, a elegant step in his walk. Adam's eyes got wide and Joel saw him lick his lips.  
"Hello pretty boy, what do you want?"  
"You."  
Joel giggled, and it was a real one for once.  
"Honest and to the point. I like you."  
Joel made sure he 'rocked Adam's world', which Adam said to him in the morning.  
Joel saw Adam a lot after that and he always brightened Joel's day.

~~~~~~

"You can no longer see him."  
The boss had Joel pushed into a corner, staring needles into Joel's skin.  
"B-But... I..."  
"No Rubin! You will NEVER see this Kovic man again. I'm not letting what happened to Jack, my lion, happen to my rabbit too."  
The boss grabbed Joel's shoulders and shook him a bit.  
"You hear me Rubin, you're not seeing this man again. Got that?"  
Joel nodded and the boss smiled.  
"Good. Now, to make sure they don't let Kovic in here again."  
Joel scooted down the wall as the boss left.  
He didn't cry, but he wanted to.  
He wanted to so fucking bad.

~~~~~~

"What happened, Joel? Why can't I see you anymore?"  
Joel sat in the little room the boss provided all the workers, hearing others doing their 'job' in some of the other rooms.  
"I can't tell you Adam."  
"Why? I miss you."  
Joel felt tears threaten to fall and he shook his head.  
"I just can't tell you okay? He'll get mad."  
Joel heard Adam whisper "oh" and Joel was happy he understood.  
"Well, if you ever need help, you know who to call."  
Joel smiled and looked down at his feet, softly planted on the floor.  
"Okay Adam. Thank you."  
"No problem Joel."

~~~~~~

Joel ran.  
He ran and ran and ran until he couldn't breathe anymore.  
He heard Jack lived close by and Joel wanted to get out. He wanted out so bad. He tried to catch his breath as he knocked on the door, his body aching from lack of not running much in his life.  
Someone opened the door and Joel looked up to see bright red hair again.  
"M-Meg?"  
"Joel?"  
Jack came in behind Meg and smiled a bright smile, moving Meg a little so she could hug Joel.  
"I've missed you JHole!"  
"Missed you too Jackie."  
Jack put Joel down and pat his shoulder, starting to walk back into the room.  
"Come on in Joel, we've got some catching up to do."  
"Yeah we do," Joel said, looking at Meg as he walked in.

~~~~~~

Jack introduced Joel to everyone.  
There was Meg, her attractiveness still distracting sometimes for Joel. Ryan, who looked stronger and Joel kind of wanted him to leave bruises on his skin (in the good way). Geoff, who Joel was still a little scared of. A guy named Burnie, who looked like someone who would take care of people even if they didn't want him to. Gavin, who was the guy who Meg ran off with. And then Griffon, who had a stare that could kill, but her hands were soft on Joel's skin and he felt safe around her.  
"There's others, but they live in other buildings. We're trying to make a crew, and it'd be nice if you joined," Geoff told Joel, making Joel jump a little.  
"A crew? I don't know."  
"Come on Joel, it'll be fun! The only problem is we'll have two Joel's," Meg whispered the last bit.  
"We'll have two of a lot of people if we bring in that youngster Heyman has been talking about and Kovic."  
Joel's eyes widened and he looked at Geoff.  
"Kovic? I know a Kovic."  
"Adam Kovic?" Jack asked.  
"Yeah! We..."  
Joel went silent, remembering his relationship with Adam.  
"I haven't talked to him in a while."  
There was a knock at the door and everyone looked up; Griffon, Burnie, Geoff, and Jack pulling out a gun. Meg grabbed Joel's arm and pulled him to the back, Gavin and Ryan following them.  
"What's going on?" Joel asked, Meg shushing him.  
"People have been coming by ever since Jack ran away. Now that you ran away, they might think you went here."  
Joel felt fear fill his body and he grabbed Ryan's arm, who smiled at Joel.  
"It'll be okay," Ryan says, his Georgian accent slipping off his tongue.  
Joel nodded, trying to stay calm. He heard people talking, then a gunshot. Joel flinched and made a decision as he held onto Ryan's arm.  
He was not going to join their crew.

~~~~~~

Joel tried to remember how old he was.  
He knew he said he was twenty three to Meg three years ago. Three years was kind of long.  
Joel was twenty six now.  
It bothered him.

~~~~~~

Joel didn't have a lot of money to his name.  
Jack gave him money before he left, Joel knowing they didn't have much. He took it though, because he knew he needed it.  
He found himself at a bar and Joel's first mission was to make money.  
He became a huge flirt and pick pocketed drunken men.  
Someone caught him and Joel got a knife into his arm, a scream filling the bar when the man stabbed him.  
Joel ran back to Jack's and a young kid named Caleb bandaged him up.  
Jack taught Joel how to use a gun while he stayed at their base. He became the best shot they had.  
"A quick learner," Jack whispered to Geoff and Geoff nodded.  
Joel was also good at listening.  
He knew Burnie, Hullum, Gus, and Heyman were leaving and making their own crew before they ever told Geoff. He knew Meg would go join a different crew later that month. He knew Ryan would disappear one day and not come back for a while. He knew Gavin found out his friend Dan was alive and left to find him without much a goodbye. He knew Griffon left with a smile and a "call me if you need me".  
Joel knew he would leave soon too.  
Jack and Geoff drove him to a better part of the city and handed him more cash.  
Joel waved goodbye as they drove away.  
He felt very lonely.

~~~~~~

Joel found himself in Liberty City with ten dollars to his name and whispering sweet nothing's into a guy's ear.  
He was young, maybe a year or two younger than Joel. His bright blue eyes reminded Joel of the sky and he fell in love. He sweet talked the guy, watching as he got more drunk and showed barely any emotion towards Joel's words. It upset him that the guy looked unaffected.  
"You're pissing me off," Joel whispered, grabbing at the guy's tight shirt.  
"Good. That's what I wanted."  
Joel felt a little offended from the comment and bit down on the man's ear, hearing him hiss.  
"Fuck you," the guy whispered, pushing Joel off him.  
"Sorry, am I pissing you off?"  
He looked at Joel and Joel felt offended just looking at the guy fully now. His face was beautiful, too beautiful to be real, and it pissed Joel off more.  
"How can someone be so hot?" Joel said under his breath and the guy laughed.  
"Are you getting distracted?"  
"James, stop harassing the poor guy."  
Another guy came up to Joel and the guy, James, and put an arm around James's shoulders.  
"Sorry about this idiot, name's Bruce."  
Bruce stuck out his hand and Joel shook it, feeling very confused.  
"Joel."  
Bruce nodded and whispered something into James's ear. Joel didn't hear most of it, but he heard the name 'Kovic' and his eyes widened.  
"Kovic?"  
Bruce and James looked at Joel, Bruce raising an eyebrow as he looked Joel over.  
"You know Kovic?"  
"Maybe. Is it Adam Kovic?"  
James laughed and looked Bruce, hopping off his stool.  
"Bruce, remember Adam talking about a pretty faced guy he met three years ago named Joel?"  
Bruce gasped and grabbed Joel's arm, dragging him with him as James laughed, following close behind.  
"Hey! Let go of my arm!"  
Joel felt panic start and slipped his arm out Bruce's grip, only to run into James behind him.  
"Woah, slow down Joel. Don't you want to see Adam?"  
Joel thought about it as James held him close, Joel knowing the alcohol was affecting the guy. Bruce rolled his eyes and put his hand out, Joel grabbing it. Bruce walked much slower then, Joel holding Bruce's hand as he led them to a car, James still attached to Joel.  
Two people were standing beside the car, arguing about something when Bruce walked up with Joel and James.  
"Hey Adam, we have a guest!"  
Adam looked at Bruce, then Joel. His eyes widened with shock and Joel took in how Adam looked.  
Joel knew he didn't change much, but Adam looked way more different. He had some muscle on him and his shoulders were fucking killer. His hair was shorter and he was growing a beard and Joel felt a little turned on staring at Adam.  
"You look different," Joel managed to get out, Adam smiling at him.  
"And you didn't change a bit."  
Joel smiled and pulled James off of him to hug Adam, feeling the warmth come off of him in waves.  
"I missed you, asshole."  
"Missed you too, Joel."

~~~~~~

Joel had no idea what he got himself into.  
He woke up in Adam's apartment to see James and Bruce softly making out on the couch, Lawrence sitting beside them working on his laptop.  
"I guess this is normal," Joel said to Lawrence, sitting beside him.  
"Most of the time," Lawrence remarked, Joel hearing some attitude laced under his words.  
Joel felt a little taken aback, but he knew why. James had told him about Lawrence and Adam's 'relationship'. 

{"They're fuck buddies, I guess you could say. Except Lawrence loves Adam more than he knows. You being back in Adam's life may make Lawrence... upset."}

Joel continued to be nice to Lawrence anyways.

~~~~~~

Joel didn't push for Adam to do anything and Adam did the same for him.  
Bruce kissed Joel first and Joel kissed back. Adam walked by when they did and patted Bruce's shoulder as passed.  
Joel found kissing Bruce being one of his favorite things.

~~~~~~

Bruce dragged in a guy that he called Spoole into the apartment one day, the kid looking drugged out as fuck.  
"Who the fuck is this Bruce?" Adam asked, looking at the kid.  
"Sean, I think that's his name. Is that your name?"  
The kid shrugged, and Adam sighed.  
"Bruce, this kid is fucking stoned."  
"I know."  
Joel laughed and Bruce sat Spoole down beside him.  
"Just call me Spooooooole."  
"God dammit."

~~~~~~

Come to find out, Spoole was the best hacker Joel ever met.  
The kid was still stoned when Lawrence handed him a computer, Spoole saying he could hack into anything. The kid began to type and look over every piece of code, scanning it over and changing pieces.  
He hacked Lawrence's computer in thirty seconds.  
"He's stoned as fuck, but he's good."  
Lawrence took his computer back and patted the kid on the shoulder.  
"Good job."  
Spoole smiled and laid his head on Joel's shoulder.  
"I'm going to sleep now."  
Spoole closed his eyes and was out like a light. Joel looked up at Adam and smiled.  
"Can we keep him?"  
Adam sighed and looked at Joel, then Spoole, then Bruce and James.  
"Fine."  
James and Bruce cheered and Spoole snuggled closer into Joel's side.

~~~~~~

"Who is this guy and why is he sleeping in my bed?"  
Joel opened his eyes and yawned, looking over to the opened doorway to see James standing in only boxers in Adam's doorway, a shorter guy standing beside him. Joel slipped out of bed and walked to the doorway to see who the shorter guy was.  
When Joel felt offended by James's beauty, he felt in awe with this guy's. His hair was a little long, messy from sleeping, and looked tired.  
"Sorry James, I didn't know that was your room."  
Adam sighed and rubbed his hand over his face, tiredness laced behind his eyes.  
"Come on Matt, I have an extra bed in here. You can sleep with me."  
Matt ran his fingers through his hair and nodded, slipping around Adam to get into the room.  
"We'll talk about it later," Adam said to James, also addressing it to Joel.  
Adam shut the door and James turned to look at Joel.  
"He's cute," Joel laughed.  
James rolled his eyes and walked back to his room.

~~~~~~

Joel was laying on the couch, his legs in Lawrence's lap when the door opened. Joel and Lawrence both turned to look at The door, seeing Matt walk in. He was covered in sweat and his shirt hugged his figure, showing off the muscle underneath. His hair was pulled back in a small ponytail and he looked up as he closed the door, smiling at Joel and Lawrence.  
"Hey."  
He walked to the bathroom and closed the door, Joel looking at Lawrence when he did.  
"I think I just got really turned on."  
Lawrence covered his mouth to muffle his laugh, Joel moving his legs out Lawrence's lap and getting up.  
"I'm not lying Larr, I need to go relieve myself."  
Lawrence continued to laugh as Joel left to go to the other bathroom.

~~~~~~

[Present Day]

Joel wakes up to Adam holding him close, not touching the wounds that Joel has gotten. Joel kissed his nose and Adam opened his eyes, smiling when he sees Joel.  
"Good morning sleepyhead."  
"G'Morning."  
Joel smiles at Adam's sleepy tone and presses a small kiss to Adam's lips, hearing him hum.  
"You're t'nice."  
"You're skipping words buddy."  
"D'n care."  
Joel slips out of Adam's arms, swinging his legs onto the edge of the bed and getting up. Adam moves and wraps his arms around Lawrence as Joel walks to the kitchen, finding Bruce and Spoole already awake and making light conversation as they cooked breakfast.  
"Good morning boys!"  
Bruce smiled as Joel wrapped his arms around his waist, resting his head on Bruce's shoulder.  
"Good morning Joel, how's your injuries?"  
"Better. Should probably take some pain meds."  
"Yeah, you should," Spoole yawned, going to get the small pills.  
Joel let go of Bruce and stood behind Spoole, grabbing the pills from his hand.  
"Are you going to put weed in your pancakes Spoole?"  
"Ha ha, very funny."  
Bruce snorted and handed Spoole his plate.  
"He totally did by the way," Bruce whispered to Joel. Joel giggled and loved how weirdly domestic it was.  
Joel put the pills in his mouth and swallowed them dry. 

~~~~~~

[Three Years Earlier]

"Hello rabbit."  
Joel stared at his former boss, his eyes tired and his skin pale.  
"You aged well," Joel joked, smirking at the man.  
The boss laughed and downed his alcohol in one go.  
"Another please."  
Joel rolled his eyes and shook his head at the bartender, the youngster nodding and filling the shot glass with water instead.  
"What happened to your business?"  
"They all left. They saw their opportunity when I went searching for you. I came back to my building burning and all of the employees gone."  
"Well, you deserved it."  
The man laughed again.  
"I guess I did."  
Joel nodded and left the counter, walking back to his boys.  
He smiled and felt so much weight leave his shoulders that night.

**Author's Note:**

> Why do I write new fics when I have others to finish?!  
> Anyways, enjoy.


End file.
